


A Little Bit of Chaos

by Walking_in_Wonderland



Category: Agent Carter - Fandom, Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Aunt Angie, Aunt Peggy, Baby Tony, But also Director of SHIELD Peggy Carter, Cartinelli - Freeform, Domestic Peggy and Angie, Everyone pitches in to take care of Tony, F/F, F/M, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard just has his priorities backwards, Neglectful Howard, Pregnant Angie, lady friendships, step mom Maria Stark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2018-05-29 08:59:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6368353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Walking_in_Wonderland/pseuds/Walking_in_Wonderland
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Between a messy divorce and his lab Howard doesn't have a whole lot of time to devote to his son. Frustrated with his neglectful parenting Peggy and Angie step in to pick up the slack with the help of Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis, while also attempting to balance their own work and home lives. But things are never easy with Howard, and every day presents a new struggle, especially when Maria announces she wants full custody of Tony.</p><p>Peggy and Angie wonder what that will mean for them and their relationship with their godson.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The phones had been ringing off the hook all morning and Peggy had spent every free moment trying to placate the angry voices on the other end of the line. By the time her lunch break rolled around she armed herself with a cup of coffee and some neglected files then retreated into a deserted lounge in hopes that she would get a few moments peace before returning to the chaos of her day. Sinking down into the corner of the couch she kicked off her heels and rested her feet on the arm of another chair. It wasn’t the most head-of-SHIELD behavior, but with no one around to notice she didn’t bother caring. Enjoying the silence she sipped at her coffee and checked her phone for texts from Angie, but before she could even unlock the screen it lit up with an incoming call from an all too familiar name.

“What do you want, Howard? I’m working,” she answered, not bothering to hide her exasperation. When it came to calling at the most inopportune moments, Howard was number one. Whether it be in the middle of a meeting with the president, the birth of her child, or the simple day to day running of a top secret government organization, Howard would call without fail to inform her of the minutest developments in his own life. Peggy was sure this was no exception.

“Is that any way to greet an old friend?” came Howard’s voice sounding very hurt.

“I’m at work, Howard. You know I can’t talk while I’m on the clock. Besides it’s a very busy day today, and I only have a few minutes to let Angie know she needs to pick up the kids…” Peggy began only to be interrupted.

“Perfect, a couple minutes is all I need,” he chirped sounding beyond pleased. Before Peggy could stop him he launched into a long winded explanation about the inner workings of his latest invention. She let her head fall back against the back of the couch as Howard droned on and on. Hanging up would be useless at this point. He’d only keep calling over and over until she answered again.

“Howard,” she finally said using the stern tone that usually got him to stop talking, “I am at work. This has to wait.”

“But it can’t. Didn’t you hear a word I just said? This breakthrough is revolutionary. You need to come over right now, Pegs. I need to show you…”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m at work?” she asked her head snapping up and her face contorting into a glare that she aimed at a painting on the opposite wall since Howard wasn’t in front of her to receive it.

“Doesn’t matter. You need…” Howard’s words were drowned out by a large crash on his end of the phone and a panicked squeal.

“Howard, what happened?” she demanded as she heard a muffled rustling and a few muttered swear words. He didn’t answer right away, and Peggy found herself on her feet as she waited impatiently for a response.

“Tony, no! You can’t touch that,” came Howard’s voice over the line. At her godson’s name Peggy began pacing in agitation, a fiery anger rising in her. She didn’t know how many times she’d told Howard he shouldn’t have Tony in the lab, but no matter how many times she said it, Howard didn’t bother listening.

“Howard, do you have Tony in the lab?” she asked, hoping her tone sounded threatening enough to make him flinch over the phone.

“Well, I—What was I supposed to do, Peg? The nanny walked out again and now that Maria is…” Howard stuttered out. The fear in his voice gave Peggy a feeling of satisfaction. She continued to pace, a hand going to her hip the same way Angie’s did when she was angry or upset. “He’s fine, Peggy. I promise. I’ve got a whole set up. He just—escaped, but it’s fine now.”

“Oh my god, Howard,” she glanced at the stack of files abandoned on the couch and withheld a sigh. It looked like they would have to be put aside for a while longer. “I swear to all things holy that if anything happens to him in that lab I will personally inflict the same pain on you ten-fold. Do you hear me? I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Without waiting for him to reply she hung up the phone and shoved it in her pocket. Scooping up her now cold coffee and the files, she marched out of the room and back to her desk, lamenting that she had never gotten her few minutes of precious quiet. Now more than just the files would have to wait. If she didn’t go pick up Tony soon he would be sure to get into something he shouldn’t and end up drinking one of Howard’s radioactive solutions or something. Whether she wanted to leave work early or not, she didn’t really have a choice. She’d learned her lesson a long time ago when it came to leaving Tony in Howard’s charge.

The halls and offices around her were brimming with people and before she’d made it back to her desk at least a dozen of them had stopped her to ask questions, go over files, or request her opinion on something. Despite her best efforts to pay attention to them her mind kept wandering to all the things that could happen to Tony under Howard’s care whilst in that lab. She finally managed to break away from everyone and gather her things. As she stepped out of her office she tried to push away the guilt at having to leave when there was so much work to get done.

“Nick, I have to leave the office for the day. Family emergency,” she told her assistant as she closed and locked her office door. “Hopefully things will clear up, and I’ll be able to be back in the morning.” Her assistant looked up, unaffected by her announcement.

“Howard?” Nick asked with an amused grin.

“Howard,” she confirmed then all but ran out of the building to her car. The delays at the office mingled with traffic meant that it was almost an hour before Peggy pulled up in front of Howard’s extravagant house. He’d attempted to live in an apartment, but soon found that large apartment complexes didn’t take too kindly to science labs that were prone to explosions existing in their building, so he’d bought the biggest and most over-the-top house he could find within city limits. It was one of those bizarre architecture experiments that Peggy just couldn’t quite fathom, and at that particular moment didn’t care to. She strode up to the door and let herself in using the eye scanner next to the door.

She traced the familiar path through the house to the back room where Howard tinkered with his experiments. Upon reaching the door she heard muttering and the familiar rustling and banging of tools that meant Howard was elbow deep in one of his crazy experiments. Worried about what she would find on the other side, Peggy threw open the door and stepped into the room. Howard stood bent over his worktable intent on whatever crazy invention he was attempting to create, but Howard wasn’t who she was interested. Her eyes began scanning the room for Tony hoping he wasn’t playing with tools he could harm himself with.

Her gaze fell on a ring of books that had been built up into a haphazard wall around a small dark-haired boy. He hadn’t yet noticed she’d walked into the room because his little nose was buried in the pages of one of the large books, but as she took a few steps forward, her heels clicking on the tiled floor, he looked up, and his face split into a huge grin.

“Aunt Peggy!” he squealed and dropped the book. Scattering the book barricade that had been built around him, he scrambled to her side and locked around her legs. She offered him a smile and lifted him high into the air, making him giggle with delight. When she lowered him back down she planted a kiss on his cheek, leaving remnants of her lipstick there, then balanced him on her hip.

“Are you okay, honey?” she asked as she inspected him for any bizarre marks or weird rashes that could sprout up from being near harsh chemicals that children shouldn’t play in. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to rush Tony to the hospital because Howard hadn’t figured out children shouldn’t be near his experiments. She looked at his hands, lifted his shirt, and peered into his eyes, scanning every inch of him to make sure he hadn’t been hurt, but she concluded at the end of her inspection that he was fine.

“Yep! I was working with daddy,” Tony answered as he began trying to dig in her pockets in hopes that she’d brought him treats.

“Oh, were you? And what were you working on?” she asked giving Tony a bright smile then turning a sharp look of disapproval on Howard who had not yet glanced up from his work since she’d walked in. Peggy would be the first person to admit and even praise Howard’s genius, but when it came to common sense or the care of his own child Peggy would also be the first one to speak out against him. She thoroughly believed that given enough time Howard could probably invent the world’s first time machine, but all the brilliance bottled up in that brain of his left little time for him to think about anything else, including the well-being of his son. She was just thankful there were no harmful consequences this time around.

“I’m learning how to build a spaceship!” Tony announced throwing his arms into the air and wiggling about as if he was flying. He made rocket ship noises and squirmed around until Peggy let him down so he could jog around the room pretending to be a rocket ship. With Tony distracted Peggy turned her attention back to Howard, crossing her arms and waiting for him to look up. He seemed to sense the glare she had trained on him and cautiously looked up from the two chemicals he’d been mixing.

“Well, hey, Peggy!” he greeted and offered her a crooked grin. She did not return it.

“What were you thinking?” she demanded, keeping her eyes locked on Howard, while also keeping watch on Tony out of the corner of her eye as he began stacking the books he’d been barricaded in into a large tower.

“What? He was fine. I rigged up that whole set up so he couldn’t get out. He wasn’t going to get hurt,” Howard answered, trying to look innocent.

“Howard, your son is four years old and too smart to think he can’t get past a few books to get into things in the lab and too curious not to try. How many times do I have to explain this to you?” Her hands went to her hips; she wasn’t even sure when she’d picked up that habit from Angie, but it made Howard flinch, so she didn’t even care.

“Come on, Pegs. Nothing happened…”

“This time,” she spat out, “Where’s Mr. Jarvis?”

“Still on vacation with Ana. They’re not getting back for another few days. I’m doing my best, Peggy. Be reasonable,” even as he spoke Howard’s attention began to wander back to whatever he’d been tinkering with, and it only made Peggy more livid. She opened her mouth to give a severe retort, but stopped when she felt a tug on her sleeve. Looking down she found Tony looking up at her with a pout on his face.

“Please don’t be mad,” he pleaded with such innocence that Peggy could do nothing but crouch down and envelope him in a hug.

“I’m not mad at you, honey,” she assured him before lifting him up and settling him back on her hip. He rested his head on her shoulder and wrapped his little arms around her neck.

“I don’t like it when you’re angry.”

“Well, then I won’t be. How would you like to come and stay with Aunt Angie, the kids, and I for a while?” she asked after giving him another kiss to the top of his head. At that he perked right back up and hugged her even tighter.

“Yeah!”

“Then let’s go pack up your things, okay?”

“Okay!” He started wriggling again, so she let him down. Grinning from ear to ear he grabbed her hand and began tugging her toward the door. As she followed him she turned back to Howard.

“Tony is coming home with me. Meanwhile sort out your priorities, Howard.” She didn’t wait for a response. Instead she followed Tony back to his room where they began packing up a bag that she planned to have last the week at least. She packed things like a toothbrush, pajamas, and his favorite stuffed lizard, but he preferred stuffing his bag with toys, books that were too advanced for four year olds, and half-finished little gadgets he was trying to build. With the bag packed and weighing almost as much as Tony, Peggy took his hand and led him out to the car. She tucked him and the bag into the back seat with a candy bar from her glove compartment to keep him occupied, then climbed into the driver’s seat, and pulled away from the curb. Angie would have a surprise when they showed up. In all the chaos Peggy realized she hadn’t let her wife know their godson would be staying with them for a while. A little concerned with how Angie would react she tried to focus on Tony’s chatter from the backseat, giving responses and reactions at all the right moments. They pulled into the driveway and Peggy shut off the car before turning to Tony.

“Ready to see Aunt Angie and the kids?” she asked, and he nodded enthusiastically. “Remember you can’t jump on Aunt Angie right now because of her tummy, okay?”

“Got it.” Tony replied looking very serious. Satisfied Peggy went around to unbuckle Tony and grab his bag. Holding his hand she led him up the small path to the front door, but before they got there the door flew open, and a very pregnant Angie stepped out with a toddler balanced on her hip.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise,” she chirped and winked at Tony.

“Aunt Angie!” he squealed and ran to her, hugging her around the knees. Peggy followed, watching with amusement as Angie ruffled Tony’s hair. When Peggy reached her wife she leaned in for a kiss and took the toddler from Angie.

“What did the doctor say about heavy lifting?” Peggy asked when they broke their kiss.

“You try not picking anything up when you got three kids running around and one of them sick as a dog,” Angie retorted before leaning down to give Tony a kiss on the cheek. He squirmed out of her grasp, but not before he had a lipstick mark from Angie to match the one from Peggy, and ran into the house to find the other kids. Peggy rolled her eyes and began bouncing the fussy toddler on her hip. The child laid its head on her shoulder and gave a pathetic sniff that indicated she could burst into tears at any second.

“Ear infection still going strong then?” Peggy asked as Angie reached out and brushed a curl out of the little girl’s face.

“Nothing’s working. The only way she’ll stop crying is if I walk around with her. Won’t let me put her down for even a minute. Poor thing,” Angie cooed.

“Sorry to have to add more chaos to the mix,” Peggy sighed, continuing to rock and bounce as they stepped into the house and closed the door. From the other room came excited little voices and footsteps that indicated Tony had found his cousins.

“What did Howard do this time?” Angie asked as they moved on into the kitchen.

“The same as usual, but I couldn’t leave Tony there since the Jarvises are away visiting Ana’s family.” Peggy dropped Tony’s bag on the kitchen table and tried to put the little girl down, but she tightened her grip around Peggy’s neck to the point that Peggy couldn’t breathe. Peggy ended up giving up and let her stay. Angie started sorting through the fridge for ingredients for dinner, waddling around the kitchen with a little less enthusiasm than normal. Now in the eighth month of pregnancy it was finally starting to take its toll on the usually energetic Italian.

“Better we deal with the chaos of an extra kid than the alternative.”

“Agreed.”

“Mummy, it hurts,” the little girl whimpered as she tugged at the offending ear, interrupting their conversation. Peggy looked down and took the little hand that clawed at the ear before it could do any damage.

“Well, don’t pull on it, love,” Peggy chuckled and kissed the hand she held.

“Her medicine’s in our bathroom. Couple drops in both ears,” Angie said over her shoulder as she heated up a few burners on the stove.

“Let’s go get you all fixed up then, shall we?” Peggy asked as she headed off to their bedroom upstairs. The little girl nodded and nuzzled into Peggy’s neck. She climbed the stairs, glad for the many hours she’d spent in the gym training for work when she reached the top and wasn’t out of breath. As she headed to their room she peeked in on the other kids in one of their bedrooms. They were huddled together trying to see how tall of a tower they could make with a set of wooden blocks Ana had given them for Christmas. Tony overlooked the two older kids and doled out instructions in a manner that would be more suitable for a teenager. In the middle of one of his instructions Tony happened to glance up and see Peggy watching them.

He gave an enthusiastic wave then said, “Look what we’re making Aunt Peggy!”

“That’s very impressive,” she replied, “are you having fun?”

“Uh huh!” He turned his attention back to their tower and Peggy proceeded to the bathroom. As she put medicine into her squirming daughter’s ears she was very glad that Tony was safe and not able to drink radioactive soda or whatever other nonsense was in Howard’s lab. If Tony being safe meant they’d have just a little extra chaos in their lives for a while, she was willing to put up with it, at least, until the Jarvises got back and could lend a hand.


	2. Chapter 2

While Angie cooked dinner Peggy did her best to help, while also balancing a whimpering Lucy on her hip. Halfway through cooking Angie banished her to the living room after Peggy had spilled an entire cutting board of vegetables into the sink and nearly upset a pot of boiling water all over the floor. Defeated, Peggy didn’t argue and kissed Angie on the cheek before retreating to the living room.

“I’m sorry I can’t help. I’m useless in the kitchen,” she sighed and Angie gave her a playful shove toward the door.

“Go on, English. There ain’t much I can be useful for anymore, but let me at least cook you dinner without you trying to set my kitchen on fire.” Peggy did as she was told and headed for the living room. With Lucy in her lap, Peggy settled into a corner of the couch with a book and tried to relax for a few minutes before dinner which would inevitably give way to bedtime routines meaning Peggy wouldn’t get another quiet moment until she crawled into bed next to Angie to fall asleep. During the few precious moments of quiet she could get before dinner started she read, occasionally reading funny or entertaining parts aloud to Lucy who was content to just lay in her mother’s arms wrapped in her favorite blanket. The peace didn’t last long. A few minutes into her book Peggy heard the thundering footfalls that meant the boys knew dinner was being made. The alluring smell of Angie’s lasagna must have reached the second floor.

“Dinner!” The boys squealed as they barrelled into the living room with bright eyes and red faces.

“It’s almost ready. Go help your mother set the table,” Peggy told the two older boys as she closed her book and set it off to the side. The boys didn’t argue and sprinted off to the kitchen, but Tony stayed where he was, watching his aunt absent-mindedly rock her little girl. Her thoughts wandered through all the things she would have to catch up on at work tomorrow, so she didn’t even notice him standing there watching her.

“My mommy used to do that for me when I was sick too,” he finally said, looking down at his feet and dragging Peggy out of her thoughts. She looked up and felt a twinge in her heart at the dejected expression on his face.

“Come here,” she opened her arms to him and he trotted to her. Up on tiptoe he leaned into Peggy and rested his head on her shoulder. With her free arm she scooped him up and settled him in her lap next to Lucy who had started dozing and didn’t notice her cousin next to her.

“Aunt Peggy, where is my mommy? Why did she go away?” Tony asked. The question caught Peggy off guard, but did not surprise her. For the past month Tony had thrown many a fit because he couldn’t see his mother. He looked up at her with big, innocent eyes that looked like tears might be threatening to spill if she didn’t say the right thing. Panicking, Peggy tried to string together something that would be the truth without telling a four-year-old more than he needed to know about the state of his parents’ relationship.

“Your mother loves you very much, Tony, but sometimes parents don’t get along with each other and need to go away and calm down. Your mom had to go away for a little while,” she finally answered hoping it was what he needed to hear.

“Why couldn’t I go with her?” Peggy had to bite her tongue to keep herself from saying some very unkind things about Howard. It was not her place to tell Tony that his father was being a greedy, self-centered child, and that was why he couldn’t see his mother.

“Because things are really complicated right now and your dad really wanted you to stay with him.”

“I don’t think so,” Tony replied with a quivering bottom lip. Before Peggy could say anything more he climbed out of her lap and disappeared into the dining room. With Lucy on her lap it was impossible for Peggy to get up and chase after him. By the time she made it to the table Tony had taken his place next to Angie and had begun poking at his dinner. He didn’t pay any attention to the cheerful chatter going on between the other kids, and Peggy could see the sad expression that made his eyes lose all of their normal energy and excitement. Living with Howard was taking it’s toll on Tony, and the realization cut Peggy to her core.

As much as she wanted to assure Tony that his dad loved him very much and was just confused with everything going on, she knew that dinner time was not the right moment. All through dinner she kept an eye on him, watching as he played with rather than ate his food and seemed all around distant. It made her want to march out of the house and over to Howard’s so she could shake the man until he realized what an idiot he was being. Instead she sat pushing her own dinner around her plate and trying to stay engaged in the conversations her children were trying to have with her.

Dinner passed and Peggy’s thoughts temporarily moved away from how shoddy of a parent Howard was to making sure the kids all had their homework done, showers taken, and teeth brushed. She ran from room to room setting out pairs of pajamas, checking on Angie, and making sure Lucy and Tony didn’t overflow the bathtub in their endeavors to get enough water to go swimming. Things didn’t calm back down until all four children were in their pajamas. Peggy made sure Noah and William were tucked away in bed with promises to turn out the light after ten minutes of reading, while Lucy and Tony were in the living room with Angie.

Close to her own bedtime Peggy returned to the living room to find Angie and Lucy dozing on the couch together, while Tony took a screwdriver to one of his toys on the floor in front of them. The image was so cute Peggy almost didn’t want to intervene. For a moment she hung back in the shadows of the doorway watching Angie snore just loud enough to make it difficult to hear the television or Tony muttering to himself as he worked. Tony caught her spying when he looked up to glance at the television. He dropped his screwdriver and trotted over to her to wrap his arms around her knees.

“Time for bed, darling,” she announced and was greeted with a very prominent pout that made her laugh. Her laughter only made his pout grow. He tightened his grip on her knees and flopped onto the ground.

“I don’t wanna,” he protested and squeezed his eyes shut tight as if he was willing tears to start streaming out.

“None of that, your cousin and your aunt aren’t feeling well. I don’t think it would be very kind to throw a tantrum when they’re trying to sleep, do you?” Peggy asked as she looked down at him wearing a stern frown. For a moment Tony’s face twisted with indecision, but it didn’t take long for him to relent and bow his head. He knew better than to push Aunt Peggy’s limits.

“Can I tell Aunt Angie goodnight?” He asked. She smiled and nodded, so he trudged over to Angie and tugged on her arm.

“I gotta go to bed Aunt Angie,” he said when her eyes snapped open.

“Then get over here.” Angie pulled him toward her and used her one free arm to envelope him in a tight hug. She planted a kiss on his head before letting him go and veering him back toward Peggy.

“Don’t let the bedbugs bite munchkin,” Angie called after him as Peggy took his hand and began guiding him toward the stairs.

“Wait!” He pulled away and ran back to the couch. When he got there he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Lucy’s cheek.

“Good night,” he whispered before turning and running back to Peggy.

“I had to tell Lucy good night too,” he explained. Peggy nodded with understanding as they headed hand in hand to the stairs. They were on the first step when he stopped and yanked his hand away one more time.

“Hold on!” He once again turned and sprinted back to the couch where Angie had almost fallen back asleep. Nearly barreling into Angie, he launched himself forward and kissed her stomach that bugled underneath her dress.

“Nighty night, baby,” he said then turned and once more returned to Peggy’s side.

“Ready now?” She asked and raised an eyebrow at him. He nodded and pulled her along toward the stairs. She managed to get him all the way upstairs and tucked under the covers before the next protest.

“Please, don’t go away yet,” he asked when she attempted to get up and say her good nights.

“I’m sorry, Tony, but I have to go get Lucy. She needs to go to bed too. So does Aunt Angie, and so do I.”

“Okay,” he sighed and rolled over to face the wall.

“I love you very much,” she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. As she turned off the lights and pulled the door closed she heard a soft murmur from the bed.

“I love you too.” A grin spread across Peggy’s face as she pulled the door the rest of the way closed and headed downstairs to collect her wife and her daughter.

“Everyone tucked in, Peg?’ Angie asked after Peggy shook her awake.

“The boys are all in bed. Now it’s your turn,” Peggy responded.

“It’s a shame to wake her. Best sleep she’s gotten in days,” Angie said, looking down at the still sleeping Lucy. Peggy reached out and with a gentleness she’d learned from years of practice and scooped Lucy up off the couch into her arms without waking the little girl. With her other hand she helped lift Angie off the couch. Together the three of them made their way up the stairs, Angie leaning heavily on Peggy.

“How are you feeling?” Peggy asked when they got up the stairs and into their room. Peggy tucked Lucy into bed while Angie pulled off her dress and swapped it out for an oversized nightshirt.

“Baby’s giving me a bit of trouble. Haven’t been able to sleep much and everything aches,” Angie admitted.

“Soon, darling, soon,” Peggy replied. She helped Angie climb into bed before going through her own bedtime routine. Before long the three of them were all curled in bed. It hadn’t taken Angie and Lucy long to fall right to sleep, but Peggy lay awake staring at the ceiling, her mind reeling through thoughts about work, Angie and the baby, and Tony. It took her over an hour to quiet her mind enough to fall into a light and restless sleep, and late in the night a strange rustling sound coming from the hall was the only thing needed to pull her out of it.

Exhausted, Peggy rolled out of bed to investigate. As she reached her door the rustling evolved to tiny footfalls that she assumed belonged to one of the children. Sticking her head out into the hall she found a shadowy figure headed toward the staircase dragging something behind it. The small frame didn’t belong to either of her boys, so she figured the only one it could be was Tony.

“Tony, why are you out of bed?” She called down the hall in a soft whisper both to keep from scaring him and to keep herself from waking the rest of the house. She didn’t want to have to go through the ordeal of getting them all back into bed. At the sound of her voice the little figure froze then slowly turned toward her.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’ll fix it. I promise. I’m sorry,” Tony whispered back with a level of panic in his voice that Peggy didn’t understand. She took a few steps toward him, but that only made him take a few more toward the stairs.

“Why are you sorry?” She asked as she continued down the hall to him. As she moved she clicked on the hall light making him blink and squint up at her. As she approached she noticed he stood shivering and clinging to the blanket he’d been dragging down the hall.

“Tony, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?” She asked. Trying not to frighten him in case he was still coming down from the panic of a nightmare, she crouched down and held a hand out to him. “Come here. Let’s get you back to bed.”

“I-I can’t,” he replied.

“Why not?’

“It’s dirty, but I’m gonna-I’m gonna fix it. I promise. Please don’t be angry,” he stammered. As he spoke Peggy watched the lip quiver devolve into tears streaming down his cheeks. She crept forward in an attempt to calm him, but he leapt back, dragging the blanket with him.

“No, no, I want my mom. I want my mom!” As he spoke she caught the faint smell of something she couldn’t mistake as anything other than urine, having dealt with Noah’s bed wetting problem when they’d first adopted him. Looking closer she saw the faint discoloration on his robot pajamas that meant they were wet.

“Tony, did you wet the bed?” She asked and kept her voice low and calm.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I want my mom!” He answered, his little sobs turning into desperate wails. Worried that he would wake the rest of the kids, Peggy scooted forward and gently laid her hands on his shoulders.

“It was just an accident. We can get it all cleaned up, okay? You’re okay, Tony.” He responded with more wailing and pleas for his mother, but didn’t pull away from Peggy this time. Instead he just stood still holding on to the wet blanket with large, unchecked tears rolling down his round cheeks.

“Don’t be mad,” he blubbered out as Peggy began trying to wipe at the tears and snot coating his face.

“Tony, look at me. It was just an accident. I’m not mad at you,” she assured him, but he just kept wailing as if he hadn’t heard anything she’d said.

“B-b-b-but my dad. H-h-h-he…” Tony tried to stutter out, but his sobs got in the way, and he couldn’t get any further.

“Tony, I need you to stop crying, okay? Listen to me,” she almost begged, glancing over her shoulder to make sure none of the other children were creeping into the hall, but she and Tony remained alone. As best he could Tony tried to quiet his sobs and wiped at his running nose with the sleeve of his pajamas. Tears still rolled down his face and a few sobs and hiccups continued to escape, but he did his best to focus on Peggy.

“I’m not your dad. I’m not mad at you for having an accident. I will never, never get mad at you for something that is not your fault. Do you understand me?” She asked, sounding more stern than she had intended. Tony still looked unsure and on the verge of wailing again, but eventually gave a small nod and rested his head against Peggy’s chest. She ran a hand through his hair and held him tight before releasing him and taking the dirty blanket away from him.

“Come on. Let’s get you out of those pajamas and back into bed.” Peggy straightened and held a hand out to Tony, but he didn’t take it.

“I don’t wanna,” he protested and a new wave of sobs began spilling out of him. Panicking Peggy crouched back down in front of him and brushed a lock of shaggy hair out of his face.

"How about you come snuggled with me and Aunt Angie in our room? You can even wear one of my shirts to bed? How does that sound?" she bribed and hoped it would be enough to calm him down. Rubbing at his eyes and still letting out little whimpers he nodded and allowed her to lead him back to the bathroom where she bathed him for the second time that night. Cleaned, dressed in one of her shirts, and already half asleep in her arms, Tony got into bed with Peggy and curled up against her side. She tucked the covers around the two of him and did her best not to move too much to keep from waking the other two occupants in the bed. She closed her eyes and as she began to drift back to sleep, her exhaustion finally enough to let her sleep, she felt Tony's hand slip into hers.

"I love you, Aunt Peggy," he whispered.

"I love you too, Tony."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peggy wakes up to find Angie dealing with a harsh bout of morning sickness which leaves both of them exhausted and Peggy worried about the harm Angie's pregnancy is doing to her. When the kids wake up, the day starts full swing, and Peggy does her best to keep up with the little ones.

Peggy woke to feet shuffling across the floor. Blinking the sleep from her eyes she turned her head to see Angie struggling out of bed. She rushed to the bathroom, moving as fast as her pregnant frame would allow her and left Peggy alone in the bed with Lucy and Tony. In the night Tony had curled himself around Peggy with one arm wrapped tight around her neck and the other tangled in her hair preventing her from getting up and following Angie.

“Angie?” Peggy called trying to keep her voice low to not wake the children, but she didn’t speak loud enough for Angie to hear her. The other woman disappeared into the bathroom and flipped on the light. With as little movement as possible to keep from disturbing Tony, Peggy turned her head to glance at the alarm clock on her night table. It read 5:02am, an hour before their alarms were scheduled to go off. As Peggy turned back around she heard the all too familiar sound of retching coming from the bathroom. Carefully, but with quick and nimble movements, Peggy untangled Tony’s fingers from her hair, ignoring the numerous twinges of pain on her scalp as hairs got pulled out. Once she had freed herself from him she rolled out of the bed and rushed into the bathroom.

Opening the door the bright light stung her eyes and she had to take a moment to let them adjust. As she stood in the doorway Angie’s panting broke the silence. Still blinking in the harsh light, Peggy closed the door and crouched on the floor next to Angie who started struggling through another bout of sickness. Peggy held her as best she could and rubbed soothing circles into Angie’s back. Angie clung to the toilet bowl, using it to keep from slumping onto the floor. Her eyes were rimmed with dark circles and the pallor of her skin made Peggy look on with worry. When Angie lifted her head Peggy brushed the sweaty hair out of her face and pulled Angie back against her until the smaller woman sat with her head resting on Peggy’s shoulder and Peggy’s hands twined together over Angie’s pregnant stomach.

“My darling,” Peggy murmured into Angie’s hair, her voice thick with pity, as she rocked back and forth unconsciously.

“Mmmmm,” Angie answered. Her eyes fluttered closed and she laced her fingers with Peggy’s.

“Angie, I’m worried about you.” Instead of answering Angie twisted around in Peggy’s arms and laid her head against Peggy’s chest. Adjusting, Peggy leaned up against the wall and pulled Angie as close to her as possible until they were a tangle of limbs on the floor of the bathroom. Angie’s labored breathing slowed until Peggy thought she might have fallen back to sleep, but too soon Angie lurched forward to once again heave up the contents of her stomach into the toilet. The entire time Peggy sat by her side holding her and comforting her until Angie had nothing left in her stomach to throw up. Peggy got up, much to Angie’s displeasure and filled up a cool glass of water. She crouched back down on the floor with Angie and handed her the glass.

“Not right now, Pegs,” Angie shook her head and pushed the water away, but Peggy ignored her and placed the glass in Angie’s hand.

“Drink.” Before Angie could protest Peggy helped guide the glass to Angie’s lips and held it there until Angie took a few weak gulps.

“Sorry I woke you,” Angie apologized once she’d taken a few more sips from the glass. Peggy took it back from her and set it on the floor far enough away that neither of them could knock it over. Angie let her head fall back against Peggy and Peggy ran gentle fingers through her tangled hair. Her heart ached as she looked down at her wife who looked so exhausted and worn from the pregnancy.

“Don’t apologize. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Come on, I know what will help.” One arm wrapped around Angie, Peggy got up off the floor and perched on the edge of the bathtub. She held Angie close to her side, running her fingers up and down the warm skin of Angie’s arm, and reached out to turn on the faucet. Soon steam from the water filling the tub began fogging the mirror. Angie leaned against Peggy with her eyes closed and hands curled in Peggy’s nightgown to keep herself from pitching forward. An exhausted silence fell between them as Peggy waited for the tub to fill and tried not to fall asleep where she sat. Once the tub was full Peggy turned off the water then got to her feet. Tenderly she pulled the nightgown up over Angie’s head, keeping a firm hold on her the entire time to keep her from pitching backwards into the water.

“Alright, get in,” Peggy instructed and helped Angie to turn around and sink into the warm water. An audible sigh escaped Angie’s lips as she leaned against the back of the tub where Peggy had rolled up a towel for her to rest her head on. Angie lounged in the tub, letting the warm water soothe her aches and revive some of the energy she’d lost after getting so little sleep. Peggy sat next to the tub helping whenever needed, but neither spoke. After a while, without Peggy realizing, her head sagged until it rested against the side of the tub and her mind began wandering toward a state of half-consciousness.

The feeling of a dripping hand brushing a stray curl out of her face jerked Peggy out of her dream-like state.

Her head shot up and she reached blindly forward, catching the hand that had touched her, “Angie?” She opened her eyes to find Angie looking at her with a loving smile on her face.

“Go back to sleep, Pegs. You’re exhausted.”

Peggy shook her head and gave Angie’s hand a small squeeze, “No, I’m fine.”

“Margaret Carter, don’t you even think about trying to lie to me. You were falling asleep on the side of the tub.” Angie flicked water at Peggy then gave her a teasing smile. “I’ll do it again if you don’t go.”

“Fine, but just shout if you need anything.” As a response Angie splashed Peggy again until she got off the floor and headed for the door. By the time she got to the door she too was smiling and looked a little less tired than she had a few moments ago. Making sure not to make any noise to keep from waking the children, Peggy turned the knob and crept back out into the darkened bedroom. The alarm clock read 5:57am which meant that despite Angie’s insistence, Peggy would not be able to go back to sleep. The kids would need to wake up soon in order to get to school on time. She’d need to get herself ready before they woke up otherwise she’d end up leaving the house in her pajamas.

While Angie relaxed in the bathroom Peggy crept through the room getting dressed and trying her best to do her hair in the darkened bedroom. As she got ready early morning sunlight began streaming through the curtains until there was enough light in the room to put her makeup on. She slipped back into the bathroom where Angie stood drying her hair to grab her makeup then tiptoed back out into the room, but as she placed the bag on the dressed Lucy’s little head poked up behind her.

“Mummy!” Lucy squealed and threw her arms out for a hug. Peggy turned back around and held a finger to her lips as she approached the bed.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Peggy greeted and held a hand to Lucy’s forehead. “You look like you’re feeling better.” Lucy nodded with enthusiasm, snaked her arms around Peggy’s neck, and kissed her on the cheek.

“Can we have pancakes for breakfast?” Next to Lucy Tony opened his eyes and gave Peggy a sleepy smile.

Peggy reached out and brushed back his messy hair. “I don’t know if your aunt is up for that. Toast might just have to suffice today, alright?”

Reluctantly he nodded, “Okay.” Peggy attempted to get up off the bed, but Lucy held fast. Instead of attempting to fight with the toddler, Peggy just let her cling as she moved to finish putting on her makeup. With one arm she supported Lucy and with the other she did her best to make herself look halfway presentable. Behind her Angie emerged from the bathroom dressed and with a bit of color to her cheeks which made the tenseness in Peggy’s shoulders relax a little.

A second later Liam appeared at the door with bright eyes and a tongue already flying a mile a minute. At his appearance the chaos of the day began. Lucy clung to Peggy as she herded the chattering Liam back to his room to get the boys dressed for the morning. When she walked in Noah lay curled in his nest of blankets still fast asleep.

“Lucy, darling, mummy needs to wake up your brother. Go see your mama,” Peggy coaxed trying to pry Lucy off of her.

“No!” Lucy locked her arms around Peggy and refused to be put down.

“Lucy, don’t be naughty,” Liam ordered as he dug through his brother’s dresser without realizing. Peggy gave up and let Lucy stay. Being sick made the little girl very petulant, and it was beginning to wear on Peggy.

“Noah, you need to get up and get ready for school,” Peggy said as she shook Noah, but he didn’t move. She tried again shaking him harder. “Come on, darling, if you don’t hurry there won’t be time for breakfast.”

“I don’t wanna,” came a meek whimper from underneath the blankets. Perching on the edge of the bed Peggy peeled back the covers until she saw the scrunched up little face of Noah. He gave her a grumpy scowl before trying to pull the blankets back up to block out the light.

“Ah ah ah, up and at ‘em. We don’t have time for this today.” She kept her firm grip on the blankets and continued to pull them back until Noah’s little curled up body was full exposed. Ignoring his protests she used her free arm to scoop him up off the bed and place him feet first on the ground.

“Mum, how are you so strong?” Liam asked as he tried to fit a leg into a pair of his brother’s jeans.

“Because I carry your sister around all day,” Peggy replied with a teasing kiss for Lucy as she stepped forward to get Liam into properly fitting clothes. She managed to get both boys into clothes all the while holding Lucy and doing her best to keep Noah from crawling back into bed. At last they stood before her in mostly matching outfits with messy mops of hair and growling stomachs.

“Alright teeth and hair brushed while I get your sister dressed. Then downstairs for breakfast,” Peggy instructed.

“Are we having toast again?” Liam pouted as they boys headed to the bathroom.

“Afraid so.”

“I like it when Mama makes breakfast. She makes omelets and pancakes,” Liam mumbled as he shuffled out of the room.

As he passed Noah tugged on Peggy’s sleeve and looked up at her with a shy smile. “I like toast.” She laughed and kissed him then gave him a gentle shove toward the bathroom. Heading to the next room she managed to pry Lucy’s arms from around her neck and wrestle the pouting little girl into a clean set of clothes. Across the hall Liam and Noah argued over who was taking up more of the sink. As she buttoned up Lucy’s sweater their footsteps echoed through the hall alerting her that they were headed for the kitchen.

“Go downstairs with your brother.s I’m going to go check on Mama, okay?” Peggy guided Lucy out the door then headed back to her bedroom where she found Angie pinned her hair up into a messy bun to keep it off her neck. Tony sat on the bed using their pillows to build an impromptu fort.

“Aunt Peggy, I think you forgot someone,” Angie said with a wink and a nod toward Tony who hadn’t seemed to noticed Peggy enter the room.

“Oh, I did, didn’t I? Come on, Tony, let’s get some breakfast then we’ll get you dressed.” She held a hand out to him which he lept eagerly off the bed to take. Together the three of them headed to the kitchen, moving a bit slower to make allowances for Angie. When they got there the boys were shoving things in their backpacks while Lucy tried and failed to reach the cookies on the counter.

“I don’t think so, chickadee,” Angie scolded as she steered Lucy to a kitchen chair so she could brush her hair.

“Mama can you do that to my hair too?” Noah asked when he noticed Angie braiding Lucy’s hair into pigtails.

“I don’t know if your hair is long enough, honey, but come here.” While she made toast and pulled bowls and cereal out of the cabinets Peggy watched Angie do her best to take Noah’s shaggy curls and pull them back into tiny pigtails at the base of his neck.

“There you go. Best I can do. You gotta grow it out if you want pigtails like Lucy.”

“Mummy, can I have long hair like you and Mama?” asked Noah, turning around to look at Peggy.

She piled toast on a plate and shrugged, “If that’s what you want, of course.”

“Yay! Liam, you should grow out your hair too then we can all have pigtails!”

“Ewww. Long hair is gross,” sticking his tongue out Liam climbed up onto a chair next to Tony and pulled a bowl toward him to get himself some cereal. As Peggy transported the toast and butter Angie helped the kids pour bowls of cereal until everyone was settled at the table. Liam talked and talked at anyone who would listen about how excited he was for art class. Noah tried to feed his little sister toast no matter how many times she protested. Only Tony sat quietly scooping cereal into his mouth. He stared into his bowl with a puzzled expression that caught Peggy’s attention.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked and ruffled his still messy hair.

“You said Noah could have long hair,” Tony replied, still not looking up from his half-eaten bowl of cereal.

“I did.”

“But boys can’t have long hair because that’s girly and boys aren’t supposed to do stuff that girls do.” Tony looked up at Peggy with his brows furrowed in confusion and milk dripping down his chin.

“There’s no such thing as ‘boy things’ or ‘girl things’. You are allowed to like whatever you want, so if Noah wants to have long hair that’s okay. That doesn’t mean he’s doing a girly thing. It means he’s doing something he likes,” Peggy explained. Tony nodded soberly at his cheerios.

“Okay,” he said quietly then went back to eating his breakfast.

“So you’re taking the boys to school and Lucy is coming to my appointment with me, right?” Angie asked when Peggy looked back up and reached for a slice of toast.

“Yes. I think Tony needs to be to school before the boys, so Tony finish your breakfast so we can get you ready for school, okay,” Peggy replied and turned back to Tony who she’d almost forgotten was still dressed in his pajamas.

“But I don’t have school today.”

“What?” Peggy looked at him then up at Angie in surprise.

Angie shrugged and went back to try to get Noah and Liam to stop arguing over who grabbed the last piece of toast. “I’m sorry, English, but I can’t take him. I’ve got an appointment today. Lucy will already be a handful.”

“Well, it looks like you’ll be going to work with Aunt Peggy today,” Peggy announced. Tony’s head snapped up and his eyes widened with excitement.

“Really?”

“Really.” She nodded. It looked like her day just got that much more complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested in more of my fics follow me on tumblr! ^-^ alifeoflesbionage.tumblr.com
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has been following and reading so far! Your likes and comments me so much to me. You have no idea! (:


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Peggy finds out Tony doesn't have school she has no choice but to bring him to work with her.

While she finished getting Noah and Liam ready for school Peggy sent Tony upstairs to get dressed. After ten minutes and with the boys standing at the door with backpacks and lunchboxes in hand Peggy began to wonder where Tony had gotten to. She walked to the foot of the stairs to see if he was on his way, but he was nowhere to be found.

“Tony,” she called up the stairs, her voice echoing back to her, “we need to get going. Are you dressed?” She waited a few seconds then heard the little sound patter of footsteps above her.

“Coming,” Tony answered as the steps continued to get louder. Seconds later he appeared at the top of the stairs wearing the most solemn expression Peggy had ever seen on the face of a four-year-old. He stood at the top of the stairs in a little plain button up shirt tucked into a pair of khaki pants complete with pleats, and a pristine little polka dotted bowtie around his neck. When she saw him Peggy had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from bursting into laughter.

“I’m ready,” he announced and crossed his arms the same way Peggy imagined grumpy old men did. The sight made her sides ache with all the laughter she was trying to keep from letting out.

“He looks like a little old man,” Angie whispered. The truth of the statement and the warm breath of her wife tickling Peggy’s neck caused a single giggle to escape which she did her best to mask with a cough.

“Come on then,” she urged and held a hand out to him. With his nose in the air Tony descended the stairs looking so proud of himself that Peggy had to look away and bite down harder on her cheek. From the doorway where she stood helping Lucy into her shoes, Angie watched with a wide grin on her face that only made it harder for Peggy to keep her composure. When they made it to the door she helped Tony into his shoes then stood in front of the three boys for one final inspection.

“Everyone have everything? Homework? Permission slips signed? Lunches?” Peggy asked as she snaked an arm around Angie’s waist. The boys all gave enthusiastic nods before turning to march out the door.

“Call me and let me know what the doctor says,” Peggy asked as she turned her attention to Angie and Lucy.

“You know I will. Have a good day at work with the munchkin,” Angie replied, rolling her eyes before kissing Peggy.

“I love you,” Peggy whispered, taking a step closer to Angie. She reached up to run her fingers through her wife’s hair, letting herself get lost in the feeling of Angie’s arms around her neck and the subtle smell of the shampoo she’d used that morning. For a moment she forgot about the kids, about work, about the baby and just basked in Angie until a tug on her sleeve yanked her back to reality.

“Ew!” Tony whined and pulled her toward the door. “Come on Aunt Peggy, we have to go to work.”

“Alright, alright, I’m coming. Be good for your mother, love,” before Tony could get her all the way out the door Peggy stooped down just long enough to give Lucy a quick kiss to the forehead before Tony managed to get her out the door. As she pulled the door shut behind her she mouthed a final goodbye to Angie then turned and dug her keys out of her purse. Once the doors were unlocked the boys clambered into the backseat and settled in with minimal shoving and insults to Peggy’s relief. Following the boys’ example she got into the car. As soon as she shoved the key into the ignition she heard a squeak from the backseat.

“I forgot something!” Liam announced and nearly rolled out of the car in his hurry. It didn’t surprise Peggy that Liam had been the one to forget something. She was sure he’d forget his own name if she and Angie didn’t remind him of it at least ten times a day. It didn’t take him long to come barreling back out of the house with a beat up shoebox in his hands. He climbed into the car and settled the box on his knees as he buckled himself in. Peggy decided not to ask what was inside.

“I’m ready,” he announced once he had settled back in.

“Are you sure?” Peggy asked and raised an eyebrow at him in the rearview mirror. Liam’s eyes widened with panic as he reeled through his thoughts to see if Peggy knew something he didn’t. After a few seconds he gave a hesitant shake of his head.

“Alright then, here we go.” She pulled the car out into the street and headed in the direction of Noah and Liam’s school. She managed to miss a majority of the morning traffic and got them there in just enough time for a quick hug and farewell.

“Please be good today. Listen to your teacher, okay?” She asked Liam as she pulled him into a hug.

“I will, Mum. Promise,” he replied with a bright smile.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she warned then turned to Noah. “And you make sure you actually do your schoolwork. I love you both. Now on you go. Get to class.” The boys gave her a final hug each then turned and ran off to meet up with their friends. She watched them go then got back into the car.

“It’s just you and me now,” she said to Tony who sat in the backseat wearing the same serious expression he had been since he’d come downstairs earlier that morning. He gave her a curt nod then went back to staring out the window. He rode the whole way like that and it started to worry Peggy as she parked and got both of them out of the car.

“Will Daniel be here today?” Tony asked as they crossed the street to the building.

“He should be,” she replied.

Finally Tony smiled. “Good.” They walked into the office and chaos erupted around them. Agents were waiting to meet Peggy at the door with news, files, and questions. Less than a foot from the door and she and Tony were already surrounded by half a dozen people. Worried she would lose him in the crowd she stooped down to pick him up as she attempted to answer all the questions being flung in her direction. Halfway to her office she started regretting not having a cup or two of coffee before coming in.

“Look who decided to come to work today.” Peggy turned to find Agent Sousa grinning at Tony.

“Daniel!” Tony squealed and threw himself in Sousa’s direction. In his excitement he nearly fell out of Peggy’s arms, and she did her best to steady him as Sousa reached out to take the little boy.

“How’s my favorite little Stark?” Sousa asked and ruffled Tony’s hair.

“Aunt Peggy let me come to work with her today,” Tony announced looking back and forth between Peggy and Sousa with glee.

“Maybe we’ll finally be able to get some work done around here, huh?” As Tony and Sousa chatted away Peggy’s assistant approached her, and she turned to give him her full attention. At the sight of Tony he raised a disapproving eyebrow at Peggy, but she ignored it.

“You have a meeting in half an hour. Damage control,” Agent Fury announced as he handed her a file. Pursing her lips she opened it to see which mission had been botched and what government she’d be sucking up to.

“This was supposed to be a cakewalk. In and out. Agent North assured me this wouldn’t happen.” She tapped her foot in impatience as she continued to read.

“If you want something done right…” she muttered.

“Peg-Director Carter,” Sousa interrupted.

“Daniel, you can call me Peggy. It’s fine.”

He hesitated then continued, “I’ve got a debriefing can you…?” He looked down at Tony who was fiddling with his tie then back up at Peggy.

“Right. Of course. Come on Tony, Daniel has work to do. Let’s go to my office and get ready for a meeting.” She took Tony back much to the displeasure of the little boy then followed Agent Fury back to their offices.

“But I want to stay with Daniel,” Tony whined and reached over Peggy’s shoulder toward Sousa.

“I’ll see you at lunch little man.” Sousa winked at Tony then trotted back to his own desk.

“I didn’t realize this is what you meant when you said you hoped you’d be able to be back in the office today,” Agent Fury said as he reached his desk.

“It’s not.” Peggy strode past Agent Fury into her office and sat Tony in one of the chairs in front her desk.

“Okay Tony, I’ve got a lot of work to get done today, so I’m going to need you to keep yourself busy. Can you do that?” Peggy asked him as she settled in her desk chair opposite him.

“I’m good at that,” he replied and folded his hands in his lap. The sight of the little boy with his legs sticking straight out sitting so still and patiently cut Peggy to her core. She began digging through her desk drawers until she found some markers.

“How about you draw me some pictures on the glass windows over there?” She handed him the markers and pointed at the large windows covering the wall behind her. With enthusiasm Tony hopped off the chair and took the markers from Peggy. Once he’d settled on the floor in front of the windows with the markers she felt comfortable enough to get back to her own work. She spent the next hour answering emails, phone calls, and the occasional intrusion from one of her agents. Time got away from her and before she knew it the clock read 10:35. She’d been due at a meeting five minutes ago. Panicking she surged up out of her chair and made it halfway to the door before remembering Tony.

“Tony,” she turned around to find the markers abandoned on the ground and half finished rainbow equations drawn across the windows. Frustrated she ran a hand across her eyes before straightening her skirt and gathering files off her desk. If she hurried she hoped she’d be able to find Tony and still get to the meeting with minimal consequences.

“Agent Fury, have you seen…” she began as she rushed out of the office. She stopped when she saw Agent Fury seated at his desk busy typing up something on his computer with Tony climbing around on his shoulders and pulling at his clothes and ears.

“Niiiiiick. Nick, can you see me? Nick, I’m right here,” Tony sand as he wiggled his fingers in Agent Fury’s mustache.

“Agent Fury, why didn’t you tell me what time it was? I’m late for the meeting,” she asked, watching the exchange between Tony and the agent with interest.

“I’m not your babysitter,” he replied flatly as he continued to work as if he didn’t have a four year old sticking his feet in his pockets.

“Right. Tony, we have to go now.”

“Can’t I stay here and play with Nick?” Tony asked, looking up from where he’d been trying to shove a pencil up Agent Fury’s nose.

“No. He needs to focus on his work right now.” She received a resentful glare from Agent Fury for that comment, but ignored it.

“But he is working. I’m not bothering him. Look,” Tony reached out and grabbed Agent Fury’s eyebrows to wiggle them up and down.

“Tony,” she warned, her hands on her hips.

“Fine,” the child moaned and climbed down off of Agent Fury. He walked up to Peggy and took her hand, then let himself be led away to the meeting room. Everyone else had already showed up, but they all stood at attention when Peggy walked in. They all gave curious glances to Tony, but none of them dared to question why Director Carter had brought a child to work. Instead they all settled into their chairs and began discussing the botched mission from the previous day. The meeting went smoothly and Tony kept himself busy by doodling on an empty paper out of her folder. As it wrapped up and everyone gathered their things to leave Sousa appeared in the doorway.

“Daniel!” Tony lept out of Peggy’s arms and ran over to Daniel where he received a very enthusiastic high five.

“Guess what time it is.”

“Lunch time!” Tony clapped his hands and jumped up and down.

“You got it. There’s a great burger place around the corner where Violet is going to meet up with us. That sound like fun to you?” Sousa asked and grinned down at Tony. In response Tony gave a vigorous nod of his head and did a little jig where he stood. The bizarre dance paired with his little old man outfit almost made Peggy giggle, but she held back. As the Director of SHIELD she had a reputation to uphold, and if she wanted to maintain the terrifying demeanor that made the interns flinch there would be no giggling at the office. “Better ask your Aunt if it’s okay.”

Tony spun around and ran to Peggy. “Can we go? Can we go?” he begged and clasped his hands in a very convincing manner.

“Violet very specifically asked that I invite you,” Sousa said.

“I’d love to Daniel, but I have so much work to get done. But you are more than welcome to take Tony if you like. He’s been so good in the office this morning. I think he deserves a treat,” she looked down at Tony, “Don’t you think?”

“Uh huh!” Tony exclaimed and ran back to Sousa. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” He tugged on Sousa’s sleeve nearly knocking the man off balance in his excitement.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming.” Sousa stooped down and scooped Tony up off the ground to put him up on his shoulders.

“Yay!”

“Thank you, Daniel.”

“Yeah, of course. You sure…” Peggy’s phone began to ring.

“Sorry, I’ve got to…”

“Of course.”

“Enjoy your lunch.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket as she gathered the last of her things off the table. Without looking she pushed the answer button and tucked the phone under her chin.

“Director Carter,” she answered.

“Hey Pegs,” Howard greeted, sounding chipper as ever.

“What do you want, Howard. I’m at work and very busy.” she replied in the most uninviting tone she could muster.

“Just calling to chat and check in on my boy,” Howard answered still maintaining his cheerful facade.

“What do you really want, Howard,” she pressed and left the meeting room. On her way back to her office she dropped a few files on Agent Fury’s desk then proceeded into her own office.

“Can’t a guy just be a good dad and make sure his kid’s doing okay without being accused of having ulterior motives? Geez Peg, what is this world coming to.” Howard sounded hurt, but Peggy didn’t care.

“He’s fine. He’s off having lunch with Violet and Daniel at the moment so that I can get some work done,” she responded.

“Good. Good. So Pegs, I need…” Howard began, but Peggy’s phone beeped. She looked down at it and saw an incoming call from Angie.

“Howard, I don’t have time for whatever you’re about to ask me. Angie’ is calling. Goodbye.” She switched the lines over only feeling partially guilty for being so dismissive with Howard. Ever since he’d split with Maria he had been far from an upstanding parent, and she was not yet ready to forgive him for that.

“Angie?” Peggy asked as she switched over to the other line.

“Hey English,” the familiar voice of Angie answered, but there was something in her tone that made Peggy’s muscles tense up in anticipation.

“How did the appointment go?” she asked, already knowing she didn’t want the answer. She asked anyway.

“The doctor put me on bedrest. Said the pregnancy is really taking a toll on me. Baby’s doing okay, but my blood pressure is up and she’s concerned I’m not getting enough sleep. But they don’t want to deliver early,” Angie answered. Peggy agreed with the doctor. Angie was not getting enough sleep. Even over a phone line Peggy could hear the exhaustion in her wife’s voice.

“Are you alright, darling? Do you need me to come home?” Peggy asked, getting up out of her chair and pacing the room.

“No, no. Stay at work. I’m okay. Lucy and I are just going to hang out at home. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me Peggy.”

“Of course I’m going to worry.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll be home as soon as I can. I’ll see if Howard can take Tony back so you can get a little more rest.”

“No Peggy, don’t do that to him. He can stay with us. Really I’m fine you get back to work. I’ll see you when you get home.”

“See you tonight.” Peggy couldn’t bring herself to hang up, but she didn’t need to because she heard the click of the call ending on Angie’s end. With a sigh she slumped down into her chair and let her head fall backwards. She didn’t think she’d be able to get any work down after that conversation.

After a few minutes she snatched her phone back up and scrolled through the contacts looking for someone who could take the kids or Tony to give Angie a break from the chaos of having so many kids in the house. She stopped at Maria and paused. Howard wouldn’t like it if she asked Maria to take Tony. He’d been so touchy about her seeing Tony since they’d separated, but Peggy was desperate. She hit the call button and waited as it rang.

“Hello?” Maria answered.

“Hi Maria, it’s Peggy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm loving the responses from all of you! Keep reading and leaving comments! They make me so happy! If there's something you want to see in later chapters let me know, and I'll see what I can do! Hope you liked this chapter of tiny Tony at work with his aunt!
> 
> If you want to get more of my stuff follow me on tumblr: alifeoflesbionage.tumblr.com


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long day at the office Peggy and Tony both come home to a much needed pick me up.

The familiar sight of her house made all the aches and stress of Peggy’s day melt away. She pulled the car into the driveway, hurried Tony out of the backseat, and made her way up to the door. Inside she helped Tony out of his shoes and sent him off to play with the other kids. Before she’d even managed to shrug off her own coat her eyes were already searching the room for Angie. They found her curled up on the sofa, wrapped in what looked like nearly every blanket they owned, and looking very pale. Her worry increasing, Peggy crept toward her, making sure to be silent in case Angie happened to be asleep. As peggy approached, Angie’s eyes fluttered open and she gave Peggy a tired smile.

“Hey Peg,” she greeted.

Her chest aching from the sight of Angie looking so weary, Peggy perched on the edge of the couch and reached forward to cup her wife’s too-warm cheek.

“How are you feeling, darling?” Peggy asked. She spoke in a hushed voice as if talking too loud might somehow make Angie worse.

“Not too good. Was sick three times at the doctor’s this morning,” Angie replied. She let her eyes close and pressed against the hand on her cheek. Tenderly, Peggy brushed her thumb back and forth across Angie’s cheek, hoping to put a little bit of color back into her face.

“And there’s nothing they can do? They won’t induce early?” Peggy asked.

“They said baby is doing well, so it’s best to wait until I’ve made it to term before we discuss inducing labor,” Angie explained, her voice weakening with every word. Peggy could tell she wasn’t far from falling straight to sleep which Peggy wouldn’t blame her for after her tiring day.

“But what about you?” her tone was sharper than she meant it to be. It yanked Angie out of her half-wakefulness and made her wince, but she pulled a hand out from under her cocoon of blankets and took the one Peggy had resting on her cheek.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll do whatever they ask so long as it’s best for the little one. I’ll be okay. You know I will,” Angie assured her. She took their joined hands and placed them on the curve of her belly, present even under her mound of blankets. Under Peggy’s hand there were rhythmic bounces that made her smile as she felt them against the palm of her hand.

“Baby has the hiccups,” Peggy mumbled.

Angie squeezed her hand, “Gets hiccups a lot, especially right in the morning when we first wake up. It’s always after you haven’t talked in awhile. I think Baby likes to hear your voice.” She smiled and patted the pillow next to her and added, “Lay down with me for a bit. The kids are fine upstairs.” Before Peggy could agree the doorbell rang. Unwillingly she let go of Angie and headed toward the door. On her way there she stopped and called up the stairs, hoping her voice would be heard over all the shouts and squeals from the children.

“Tony, will you come answer the door, please?” The sounds of playing and laughter stopped and seconds later Tony appeared at the top of the stairs wearing a large pout. Soon after Liam, Noah, and Lucy scurried up behind him, eager to see who might be coming for a visit.

“But Aunt Peggy we’re playing. Can’t you do it?” he called down to her.

“I think you’ll want to see who’s come to visit,” she repled and motioned for Tony to come down the stairs. Looking very reluctant, he slumped down the stairs and past Peggy toward the door. The other kids hoovered behind at the bottom of the   
Stairs. Using all the strength in his four-year-old little body he pulled the front door open. From where she stood Peggy couldn’t see the look of surprise she knew would be there, but she did hear an excited gasp before Tony flung himself forward into the arms of the woman standing there.

“Mommy!” shrieked Tony as he clung around her waist.

“My boy! I missed you!” she greeted as she bent down to scoop him up. He wrapped his arms around her neck with a vice-like grip as she planted at least a dozen kisses on his cheek. As they had their very heartfelt reunion Peggy stepped forward to close the door.

“It’s good to see you, Peggy,” Maria said as she cuddled Tony as close as possible. He did not object and instead held her just as tightly.

“Thank you so much for coming. I’m sorry I had to ask,” Peggy replied. Once Peggy began talking the other kids surged forward to try to get some of Maria’s attention.

“Aunt Maria!” they shrieked as they tugged on her clothes and wrapped their arms around her, all of them pushing each other out of the way trying to get more of her attention.

“Don’t apologize. I can’t imagine how stressful all of this has been. How is she?” Maria asked before leaning down to hug each of the kids.

“Oh my goodness you all look like you’ve grown so much since I was last here. Look at you Lucy, you’re almost as tall as Tony!” Maria exclaimed as she straightened back up and surveyed the kids still tugging at her clothes and trying to get more hugs.

‘No she’s not!” Tony objected from his perch on his mother’s hip. Lucy looked very pleased with herself and stood as straight as she could next to her brothers.

“Up! Up! Up!” she demanded and attempted to climb up Maria’s leg.

“Aunt Maria guess what I learned at school!” Liam piped up, eager to get his turn at Maria’s attention.

“And what would that be?” she asked, indulging him.

“We’re learning about space! I can name all the planets in order!” he announced and proceeded to demonstrate his new skills. She looked very impressed as Noah reached up to slip his hand into hers. She gave it a squeeze and flashed him a soft smile.

“Why were you gone for so long? We haven’t seen you in forever,” he pouted. Maria opened her mouth to answer, but stopped and looked up to meet Peggy’s gaze. They shared an uncertain glance before Peggy addressed the children.

“Alright, everyone back upstairs. I need to talk to your aunt for a little while. You can play with her later,” she instructed. The kids knew by the stern look on her face not to argue. One by one they let go of Maria and marched back up the stairs, stopping every few feet to look back just in case Peggy changed her mind. She watched them with her hands firmly on her hips until they had all disappeared back upstairs to entertain themselves until dinner. Only Tony remained clinging to Maria with every ounce of strength he could muster. His face reddened and tears leaked from the corners of his eyes at the thought of parting with his mother.

“I don’t wanna go! I don’t wanna!” he objected and buried his face in her shoulder. “Please don’t go! Please! I don’t want you to go!” he sobbed as his eyes began filling with tears.

“Tony. Tony honey, Mommy’s not going anywhere. You don’t have to go anywhere. You can stay right here with me, okay?” she comforted as she ran her fingers through his already messy hair. With a quivering lip he lifted his head enough to nod then nestled it back against her shoulder.

“I don’t want you to go,” he mumbled for good measure as he toyed with a loose piece of her hair.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here,” she reassured him as she began swaying back and forth in a comforting motion without realizing it. “How about we go see how Aunt Angie is feeling, yeah?” He nodded and she placed a loving kiss on his forehead.

“She’s in here. I think she was too tired to make it all the way upstairs.” Peggy lead the way into the living room where Angie had dozed off on the couch. As they approached she began to stir and opened her eyes.

“Angie, hey,” Maria greeted. She glanced at Tony, considering putting him down to make it easier to talk with Angie, but the desperate way he clung to her and the tears still lingering in his eyes from his panic only moments ago, she decided against it and sat gingerly on the edge of the couch still holding him.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes. How’ve you been?” Angie asked. She snaked a hand out from under her blanket and took Maria’s.

Maria glanced at Tony before giving a cautious answer, “It’s been a stressful past few weeks. I’ve missed this little guy to pieces.” She hugged him tight and squished her face into his.

“Mommy!” he exclaimed and pushed against her as she pulled him closer. They both giggled and Angie smiled at the display.

“How’re you holding up, Ang?” Maria asked after she stopped her antics with Tony.

“Pegs, can you?” Angie turned to Peggy as she began pulling herself up into a sitting position. Peggy leapt forward and assisted Angie until she was comfortable settled against the pillows surrounding her. Peggy sat on the arm of the couch next to Angie’s shoulder and occasionally played with the tangled hair falling around Angie’s face in disarray.

“Baby’s keeping me all sorts of exhausted,” Angie answered and placed a hand on her belly, “but I’m doing okay. Just ready to meet the little tyke? You know?”

“It’ll happen before you know it,” Maria replied and patted Angie’s hand. “But in the meantime you rest up. I’m going to look after the kids for the evening so you and Peggy can get a little rest. To say thank you for looking after Tony for me.”

“It’s our pleasure. He’s welcome here any time.” Angie ruffled Tony’s hair and he batted at her hand making all the women laugh. Maria got up off the couch and readjusted Tony who still refused to let her go. Peggy tried to follow, but Maria put a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve got everything handled. You relax with Angie. You both need it,” Maria insisted. Peggy flashed her an appreciative smile before sliding down to sit next to Angie on the couch. Maria watched them until she was sure Peggy wouldn’t try to get up and follow her. When she was satisfied that the two women weren’t going anywhere she turned and headed toward the stairs with Tony.

“What should we play?” she asked as they started climbing the stairs.

“Dressup!” Tony announces. The sounds of their voices trail up the stairs until all Peggy and Angie can hear are the muffled sounds of laughter and pattering footsteps. Thankful for the quiet Angie nestled back down into her blankets and reached out to pull Peggy closer to her.

“I have a better idea. You stay here,” Peggy ordered and got up off the couch. She moved back and forth between the living room bringing in more blankets and pillows, building a comfortable fire in the fireplace, and finally returning with two cups of warm tea to hopefully calm Angie’s stomach. She pulled all the pins out of her hair, letting the usually neat curls fall in wild waves around her face, then helped Angie off the couch into the nest of blankets and pillows she’d built on the floor.

“God, you’re an angel,” Angie sighed as she burrowed into the blankets and rested her head on Peggy’s shoulder. Peggy smiled into her hair and drew relaxing circles onto the skin of Angie’s arms. They laid there enjoying the warmth of the fire and the quiet evening they shared. It didn’t take long for both of them to drift off into peaceful sleep in each other’s arms. Maria crept into the room to announce dinner, but when she saw them both fast asleep she tip toed back out and shooed the children upstairs before they could wake the tired women up. It was past nine, and Maria was busy putting the kids to bed when Peggy opened her eyes to the still sleeping face of Angie next to her. Careful not to wake Angie when she was getting some much needed sleep, Peggy climbed out of their nest of blankets to check on Maria and tell her children goodnight.

“There you are,” Maria greeted when Peggy stepped into Liam and Noah’s room where Maria was coaxing the still hyper Liam into bed.

“Mummy we played dress up and Aunt Maria helped us put on a play. We wanted to show you and Mama, but you were sleeping,” he announced as he climbed into his bed.

“That sounds very exciting, darling. Maybe you can show us tomorrow,” Peggy suggested. “Now do as your aunt says and go to bed boys.” Peggy kissed both boys goodnight then followed Maria out to where Tony stood waiting in the hallway in a pair of pajamas with little blue and green aliens on them. He looked very upset that his mother had put him down.

“Everyone else is in bed. It’s your turn my little man,” Maria announced as she kneeled down to fix the buttons on Tony’s pajamas.

“Can’t I stay with you?” he asked, catching her hand as she pulled it away and held on. Maria opened her mouth to respond, but Peggy answered first.

“I think that’s a great idea. How about we all go downstairs and have some hot chocolate.” Tony jumped up to latch around Maria’s neck as his agreement. Maria chuckled and put an arm around him.

“I think somebody missed me,” she teased. He blushed and buried his face in her shirt to try to hide it. Peggy watched with amusement as the three of them returned to the kitchen where Maria settled herself in a kitchen chair to talk to Tony. Peggy got two mugs of hot chocolate and a cup of tea ready for them. She returned to the table as Tony was attempting to explain the more complex workings of one of the gadgets he’d been working on. Maria listened, giving him her complete and undivided attention, but even as Tony spoke his words began to slur and he interrupted himself with a yawn every few words.

“I think someone is getting tired,” Peggy commented with a chuckle as she sat down next to them.

“Am not,” Tony protested, but was proven wrong by another yawn. “I’m not gonna go to sleep.”

“You can’t stay up forever,” Maria said gently as she began rocking back and forth to help send the petulant little boy to sleep.

“If I don’t fall asleep then you won’t go away,” he replied even as his eyelids began to droop.

“I’m right here, Tony. I won’t leave without saying goodbye. I promise.” Her voice quivered as she spoke and her grip on Tony tightened as she rested her chin on his head and continued to rock.

“Why do you have to go?” he asked as he nestle closer to her and reached for a lock of her hair to twirl around his finger.

“Because Mommy and Daddy aren’t getting along very well right now. We need some quiet time away from each other.”

“But I don’t want to stay with Daddy. I don’t think he likes me,” Tony whispered as his head began to loll forward.

“Tony…” Maria started, but stopped. She wanted to tell him his father loved him very much and just didn’t know how to show it, but it wasn’t fair to defend Howard’s bad parenting to Tony. He had a right to be upset at Howard’s neglectfulness. She just wished she could make it all go away, and that her hands weren’t tied when it came to getting Tony out of that house.

“Everything is going to be okay, Tony. Your Aunt Peggy and I will make sure of it,” she whispered, but knew it fell on deaf ears. She could tell by the little snores and the even rise and fall of Tony’s chest that he’d fallen asleep. She continued anyway just in case.

“This must be so difficult for you. I’m sorry I can’t help more,” Peggy murmured. She sipped at her tea and brushed her messy hair out of her face. She had spent the last month dealing with the stress of Angie’s pregnancy, but Maria had spent the last month without getting to see her son. Peggy couldn’t imagine being separated from her children for that long. It pained her to watch Maria staring down at Tony with such love, holding him as if he’d be taken from her at any moment and knowing this was only temporary. Maria would have to go home and Tony would be left with Howard once again.

“You’re doing more than enough, Peggy. You’re dealing with so much already. I just appreciate you keeping an eye on Tony,” Maria responded in earnest.

“He doesn’t deserve to suffer because Howard is being selfish.”

Maria stared down at Tony and continued to rock. “Howard loves him. He just…” she trailed off. She knew Howard loved Tony, but only when it was convenient, only when it didn’t intrude on his own work. It had cut her to her core when she’d had to leave Tony behind with him because she knew he wouldn’t be cared for as he ought to have been, but as his step mother she had very little legal claim to Tony. It was unlikely they would ever grant her custody over Howard.

“Love does not make you a good parent,” Peggy said firmly.

“I know. I just-I don’t want Tony to think he isn’t loved. I worry that being with Howard...he’s been alright, hasn’t he? Howard won’t even let me speak to him on the phone when I call, so I have no idea,” Maria asked, her voice cracking mid question. She looked up at Peggy with tears in her eyes before resting her cheek against Tony’s head and pulling him closer to her.

“The separation hasn’t been easy for him. I found him in the middle of the night last night soaked because he’d wet the bed. He was terrified I’d be upset with him. I think there must have been an instance with Howard, but I didn’t press him to explain. He was already very upset,” Peggy explained. She knew better than to keep the truth from Maria or sugar coat things when it came to Tony and Howard.

“He’s never had accidents like that before,” Maria said with surprise.

“It could be the stress of the separation. I don’t know if it had already started while the Jarvises were around to keep an eye on him, but they’ve been away on holiday for the past week. It’s only been Tony and Howard. He came to stay with us last night after I caught Howard letting Tony play unsupervised in the lab again.”

“He was completely alone with Howard? Oh god! Did anything happen?”

“Last week right after the Jarvises left,” Peggy paused knowing Maria wouldn’t like what she said next, “Howard had been busy in his lab like always, so Tony was on his own. He wanted to work on one of his little inventions and decided he needed something from Howard’s shelves. He tried to climb them and spilled one of Howard’s chemicals all over himself…”

“He what? But he’s okay, right? Nothing--nothing happened?” Maria interrupted as she frantically began inspecting Tony to make sure he had no visible injuries, but she was hindered by the fact that Tony was fast asleep, and she didn’t want to wake him. Feeling helpless she looked up at Peggy for confirmation.

“I was lucky enough to already be on my way over to Howard’s for work, so I was able to get to him before it could do serious damage and rush him to the ER. He left with just a minor rash and a few stitches on the back of his head from where he hit it when he fell, but he’s alright. They said he’d be fine, no long term effects. He has to go back in a couple of days to get them taken out. Mr. Jarvis is going to take him,” Peggy explained, but the story didn’t calm Maria down. Instead she felt more panicked and reluctant to part with Tony. Howard had never been very good at looking after Tony, but the older and more curious the little boy got the worse Howard had become at keeping an eye on him. She combed through Tony’s hair, gently so as not to wake him until she felt the raised skin where the stitches were almost at the base of his skull.

“God, what if something worse happens, Peggy. What if…?” she couldn’t finish her sentence. A lump had begun to form in her throat, and her nose turned red like it always did when she was on the verge of tears. Peggy looked on with sympathy and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“The Jarvises are coming home tonight. They’re going to pick Tony up, and he’s going to stay with them. He’ll be alright,” she assured Maria.

Maria blinked back tears and said, “God, I wish I had adopted Tony when I’d had the chance, but I just didn’t think about it. He was my son from the moment we got him. I never thought I’d have to fight him away from Howard.”

“We’ll figure something out, Maria. You know I won’t let anything happen to him.”

“You have your own problems to worry about. You shouldn’t be worrying about mine,” Maria insisted as she continued to run her hands through Tony’s hair, only making it look messier and more unkempt.

“In a month that will all be behind us. Just one more month then the doctors will be willing to discuss inducing labor.”

“Poor Angie, she looks so exhausted. This pregnancy is taking its toll on her. They really won’t consider early induction?” Maria asked.

“Not unless there is immediate risk to Angie or the baby. They insist that as long as the baby is thriving and healthy it’s best to go to term. I’m just worried about her. She barely eats, barely sleeps. I don’t even know how she still gets up and gets out of bed everyday,” Peggy replied, her gaze wandering to the doorway where she could see a sliver of the living room through the doorway. The fire had died down, but it left enough light for her to see Angie tossing and turning in her pile of blankets on the floor.

“She’ll be alright. She’s too strong and determined not to be. More determined than even you at times,” Maria replied with a smirk. Peggy couldn’t help but laugh as she took a drink of her now lukewarm tea.

“I just hope she can make a full recovery from this. I worry there will be long term complications for her. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t said yes to another baby. Ours were enough. I can barely keep up with the three of them, but Angie insisted…”

“Don’t blame yourself, Peggy. Angie would have never forgiven you if you hadn’t let her do this. It’ll be okay. Angie will pull through, and the two of you will have a beautiful new baby to faun over. It’ll all be worth it.” It was Maria’s turn to give Peggy’s hand a reassuring pat.

“On days like today, I find myself doubting the truth in that statement,” Peggy responded, averting her eyes from Maria. She would never tell Angie, but she worried the complications and problems that had come with the pregnancy wouldn’t be worth it in the end. She would never admit it to Angie, but she wished they could have given up on the whole thing when Angie had started getting sick, but Angie would have never agreed.

Maria opened her mouth to respond, but a soft knock at the front door interrupted them. A moment later the Jarivses came walking in with bright smiles and warm greetings for everyone. Peggy, Maria, and Mr. Jarvis got Tony ready, while Ana disappeared into the living room to check on Angie. Twenty minutes later everyone, including Angie, stood gathered in the doorway to bid Tony and the Jarvises goodnight. Tony clung to his mother and sobbed into her shoulder, insisting over and over that he didn’t want to go.

“I know you don’t, honey. I’m sorry, but I’ll come see you soon, okay? I promise,” Maria tried to reassure him. She rubbed his back, kissed him over and over, and clung to him as tightly as he clung to her. The others stood back watching with sad eyes at the heartbreaking display before them. Angie leaned against Peggy, watching with the same aching heart as the others.

“Please, Mommy, please let me stay with you. I’ll be good. I swear I won’t do anything bad ever again,” he begged through the sobs that were making his whole body shake.

“I know you would be, Tony. I know, but listen to me. You have to go back with Ana and Mr. Jarvis, okay? Look at Mommy.” He shook his head into her shoulder and tightened his arms around her neck so much that she almost couldn’t breath. “I love you, and I need you to be very brave for me and go back with your Daddy for a little while. Mommy will come visit you soon.”

“I don’t wanna. I don’t wanna. I don’t wanna. Don’t make me go,” he protested, his breathing so erratic Peggy began to worry he’d pass out from a lack of oxygen.

“Peggy?” Maria turned a desperate glance on Peggy. Reluctantly Peggy stepped forward and reached for Tony. She pried his arms away from Maria and pulled until she broke their embrace. Tony screamed in protest and kicked his arms, his face bright red from crying.

“Mommy! Mommy!” he shrieked, and it was all Maria could do not to start crying herself. She took the hand Angie offered to her as Peggy carried Tony out to the Jarvis’s waiting car.

“I love you,” Maria called after him just before the door closed. The last image she saw of Tony was his tear stained face staring back at her with such desperation and sadness that when the door closed she could no longer hold back her tears. She turned and hid her face in Angie’s shoulder as her own quiet sobs began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading, liking, and commenting on this. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'd love to know what you think, so please leave a comment or follow me on Tumblr if you want to see more fics like this one:
> 
> alifeoflesbionage.tumblr.com


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I've been gone for so long! I know it's been ages, but here's a new chapter for you. I'm going to try to be more consistent and get this done in the next few months. Thanks for being patient with me!

Once Maria had managed to pull herself together she bid them farewell and headed home, leaving Peggy and Angie free to crawl into their own bed and get some much needed rest. They curled up together, exhausted from their long day, and fell asleep within minutes of their heads hitting the pillow. But Peggy didn’t stay asleep long, Angie tossed and turned through the night, waking her almost every hour. Late into the night long after they both should have been asleep, Peggy woke to Angie’s hand on her shoulder. Even more exhausted from her restless sleep. Peggy struggled to open her eyes.

“Peg. Peggy, wake up,” Angie called into the darkness tugging on Peggy’s shoulder. It wasn’t her wife’s touch that dragged Peggy away from sleep, but rather the anxious tone to Angie’s voice.

“Angie?” Peggy asked, opening her eyes and turning toward her wife, her voice still thick with sleep. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s time,” Angie murmured.

“Time for what, love?” Peggy asked, momentarily confused. “Oh god, the baby. Are you sure?” Eyes wide, Peggy sat up and turned on the lamp next to her side of the bed. She looked back at Angie who lay with her hands on her stomach and her face contorted in pain. She brushed her fingers along Angie’s cheek, feeling the heat radiating off her and the beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. She was having a contraction. Angie was in labor.

“I’m sure,” Angie replied. She managed to give Peggy a weak smile as she reached for Peggy’s hand, trying to look pleased despite the pain. “We’re having a baby Pegs!”

Squeezing her hand, Peggy smiled back and replied, “Yes, we are darling.” She leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to Angie’s forehead, but when she pulled away Angie looked concerned.

“Deep breaths, love.”

Angie tightened her grip on Peggy’s hand and gritted her teeth against the pain. She tried to make it look as if it didn’t hurt as much as it did. “What if I’m not a good mother, Peggy? What if our baby hates me?”

Peggy couldn’t help but laugh a little as she answered, “You’re already a good mother to three wonderful children. This one won’t be any different. You’re going to be amazing. Now I’m going to go wake them up so we can get you to the hospital. Will you be okay if I leave for just a few minutes?”

“We’ll be okay,” Angie assured her as she sank back into the pillows. Peggy gave Angie’s hand another squeeze before all but leaping out of the bed. She made her way out into the hall and headed for the boys’ room first. 

Neither boy appreciated being dragged out of bed so early in the morning, but with bribes of donuts and extra TV time, Peggy managed to get them both up, dressed, and headed downstairs to pour themselves bowls of cereal. Lucy was the real struggle. Peggy walked into her room and tried to wake the little girl, but Lucy tossed and turned, moaned and protested until Peggy completely gave up. She scooped the little girl up into her arms and wrapped the blanket from her bed around Lucy’s shoulders before turning and rushing back to her own bedroom. When she returned she found Angie perched on the edge of the bed, her hands tangled in the sheets her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

“Angie?” Peggy whispered, cradling Lucy’s head against her shoulder and trying not to wake her. The sight of Angie hunched over, face pale made Peggy’s heart hammer in her chest. Angie replied with a moan laced with pain.

“Breathe, darling. Breathe. You’re doing amazingly,” Peggy encouraged. Still holding Lucy, she crept to Angie’s side and used the hand not supporting her daughter to rub comforting circles into Angie’s back.

“Help me up,” Angie rasped and lifted her head after a few steadying breaths.

“Of course. Arm around my shoulders sweetheart.” Balancing Lucy on one hip, Peggy managed to heave Angie up off the bed. “That’s it. Now let’s get down to the car.” Together they made their way out of the bedroom, down the hall, and down the stairs to the front door where Liam and Noah stood bleary eyed and yawning. As they stopped, letting Angie catch her breath and fix her grip on Peggy, Lucy began to wake, letting out little desperate whimpers.

“Hush now, darling. Mummy’s got you. Go back to sleep,” Peggy cooed as she tightened her grip on the little girl and swayed a bit, trying to lull her back to sleep. Lucy nuzzled into her neck and settled after a few seconds, much to Peggy’s relief. Doling out instructions to the boys and Angie, Peggy managed to get all five of them ready and into the car, shoes, coats, and all.

“The hospital bag, is it in the trunk?” Angie asked as Peggy pulled out of the driveway.

“Packed and ready to go with everything you and baby will need,” Peggy reassured her as they turned out onto the dark, empty street. Thankful for the quiet of the early morning, Peggy sped through the empty city streets toward the hospital. On the way she dialed the Jarvises. It took three tries before they answered, but when Ana’s sleepy voice answered on the other end, she already knew the reason for the call and promised she, Mr. Jarvis, and Tony would meet them at the hospital. Knowing they wouldn’t be alone when they got to the hospital lifted a little of the weight off of Peggy’s chest. She glanced at Angie who sat next to her with her head resting back against the seat and her eyes closed. The more support Angie would have the better.

Next she dialed Violet and Daniel, silently praying one of them would be able to get the kids, so they wouldn’t have to spend the night in the waiting room while Angie suffered through labor. After dialing their house phone and Violet’s cell with no luck, Peggy felt a wave of relief when she dialed Daniel and heard his worried voice answer.

“It’s alright, Daniel. It’s just that Angie is in labor, and we need someone to pick up the kids from the hospital,” Peggy explained before he could launch into a proper panic. As she drove her eyes kept darting back to Angie who hadn’t moved or said anything in quite some time. She could tell by the way she was gritting her teeth and gripping the door handle, her knuckles turning white, that she was having another contraction.

“Hold on, my love. We’re almost there.” Peggy said, momentarily distracted from her conversation with Daniel.

“I’m so sorry, Peggy, Violet and I are both working the night shift tonight.,” he replied, apologetic.

“That’s okay. I’ll try someone else. Thanks Daniel.” Already trying to rack her brain for someone else who would be able to watch the kids.

“No, but wait. We’ve got a great sitter watching the kids for the night. Let me call him and see if he’ll take yours too. He’s pretty easy going, so I doubt it’ll be an issue. I’ll text you when I get a hold of him.”

“You’re a saint, Daniel.”

“You’re only saying that. I’ll tell Violet. She’ll want to head to the hospital when she gets off in a few hours.”

“You should stop by too, if you can. Thanks again, Daniel,” Peggy replied.

“Hey Peg, congratulations.”

Peggy smiled then hung up the phone and turned to Angie whose face looked softer, the pain lines had smoothed. Her contraction had passed.

“How are you doing?” Peggy asked as she shoved her phone in her pocket.

“Real tired, but okay. Baby’s wiggling a lot. I think it’s getting anxious to be out in the world,” Angie answered. She reached out for Peggy’s hand and laced their fingers tightly together. They drove that way the rest of the drive to the hospital, Peggy holding onto Angie and paying more attention to her than the road. They were very lucky it was so late into the night and the roads were empty.

“My wife’s in labor!” Peggy blurted when they burst through the doors of the emergency room, Angie hobbling next to Peggy and the boys trailing along behind.

“Can I get your name?” Nurses rushed to their side to get them checked in and Angie into a wheelchair. She let out a sigh of relief as she sat back in the chair and let one of the nurses wheel her toward the labor and delivery wing. Holding the now groggy and slightly cranky Lucy with the boys clinging to her jacket, Peggy rushed down the hall alongside the chair, keeping a tight hold on Angie’s hand the whole way.

Peggy lost track of how many people had asked them questions or poked and prodded at Angie as they moved. By the time they made it to a room they had almost all of her paperwork filled out, her vitals taken, and the timing between contractions noted. Never had Peggy been more thankful for doctors, and she’d had her fair share of injuries - life threatening and otherwise.They were being very attentive Peggy vowed to send them all flowers after it was all over if everything went well.

“Alright, Mrs. Carter, we need to see how everything is going with mother and baby. Would you like to stay with her or would you and the kids like to step outside?” a nurse asked once Angie was settled in a bed with Peggy standing guard beside her.

“Will you be okay for a moment? I’m going to take the children out to the waiting room to see if Ana and Jarvis are here yet,” Peggy asked as she ran her fingers through Noah’s hair as he nodded off leaning against her. It would be best for both them and Angie if the kids could curl up in the waiting room and try to go back to sleep under the watchful eye of Mr. Jarvis until they could find a better solution for them.

“You look after them. I got this one,” Angie assured her with a smile as she placed a hand on her stomach. “Everyone come here and give Mama a kiss.” Angie held out her arms and each of the children offered up a kiss for their mother, Lucy even gave two, before Peggy herded them out into the nearly empty waiting room. Where Ana and Jarvis sat waiting.

“Congratulations darling!” Ana exclaimed, surging forward to pull Peggy into a tight embrace.

When they broke apart Mr. Jarvis gave a polite nod and asked, “How is Mrs. Martinelli holding up?”

“We just got here. They’re getting her settled now. I should be getting back, so I can be in there with her. Would you mind looking after the kids for a bit? Daniel is trying to find someone to come get them for me.” Peggy asked, silently hoping she could pry Lucy’s arms from around her neck with little fuss.

“Of course! We’re here for whatever you need, especially looking after the munchkins. Go be with your wife. She needs you.” Ana insisted. Mr. Jarvis stepped forward and reached for Lucy, gently loosening her hold on Peggy. Lucy only let out a few meek whimpers before nestling into his shoulder and falling right back to sleep. The boys herded around Ana and started pulling her toward the vending machine on the other side of the room.’

“Thank you so much! I’ll let you know if I hear back from Daniel. Be good, kids.” Already feeling guilty for how long she’d been away from Angie, Peggy all but sprinted down the hall and back into the room. Angie lay in a hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown, and looking as if she’d already fallen back asleep. All the nurses had left, and there was an IV in Angie’s arm.

“Angie?” Peggy called, creeping back into the dim room and shutting the door as softly as possible so as not to startle Angie who lay with her eyes closed and her hands resting protectively on her stomach, a habit she’d started as her stomach had gotten bigger.

At the sound of Peggy’s voice, Angie turned her head and smiled. “You’re back,” she said, her voice soft and weary.

“Did you think I would leave you?” Peggy questioned as she moved to sit on the side of the bed. Angie’s hand felt so warm when Peggy brushed her thumb across it, and it worried her.

“I know better. You couldn’t stay away even if you wanted to,” Angie answered as her eyes fluttered closed again.

Peggy chuckled as she pushed a few damp strands of hair out of Angie’s face. “You know me too well.”

“Course I do Pegs. Why do you think I married you?”” Angie asked.

“For my wit and good looks?” Peggy offered.

“That too,” Angie smiled and turned to look at Peggy. “Hey Pegs?”

“Yes, love?”

“I’m so tired.”

“You can sleep now, darling. I’ll be right here,” Just as Peggy said that, Angie squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her grip on Peggy’s hand until Peggy began losing feeling in her fingers.

“Breathe, Angie. Look at me, you’re doing brilliantly. Just hold on, love,” Peggy spewed encouragements as Angie twisted on the bed in pain, gripping Peggy’s hand with all the strength in her weary body. As the contraction ebbed away Angie’s breath evened and her body stilled, but she didn’t let go of Peggy’s hand. Helpless, Peggy watched her exhausted wife struggle through the pains of labor until they were finally joined by one of Angie’s nurses.

“How’s Mom doing?” the nurse whose nametag read “Leslie”, asked.

“She’s having a bit of a rough time of it,” Peggy answered, so Angie could continue to calm herself from the last contraction.

“Well, having a baby can take it out of you, but you don’t look like one to give up easily,” the nurse replied with a wink before moving to the computer at the desk to check Angie’s chart. 

“You have no idea,” Peggy snorted as she continued to brush her fingers through the tangles of Angie’s hair.

“Hmmm, looks like Mom and Baby have blood pressure that’s a little too low for our liking. Could have just been the shock of labor starting. Let’s check in again to make sure everything is ship shape for when it’s time to deliver,” the nurse said, sounding a little too cheerful.

She bounced to Angie’s bedside and proceeded to check vitals while she chatted away about everything and nothing. She asked them if they had names picked out and how old their other children were. The chatter helped Angie perk up a bit as the nurse took her blood pressure. Angie never could resist a good conversation, but the excessive cheerfulness left Peggy feeling uneasy. When the nurse finished her brow furrowed with concern, but it was replaced with a smile so quickly Peggy hoped Angie’s usually sharp eyes hadn’t noticed. Even if Angie hadn’t, she had, and it only deepened her worry.

“Alright, so blood pressure is still lower than we’d like. I’m going to go chat with Dr. Braxton and see what she wants to do about that. Be back in just a bit. Try to get relaxed and comfy while I’m gone.” As fast as she’d appeared, Leslie disappeared, and left Peggy and Angie alone to wonder how serious the situation really was. They didn’t speak. Angie was too tired and Peggy too lost in thoughts of all the things that could go wrong. Instead they just sat holding onto each other, appreciating the silence of the room. Before they could wonder for too long, Leslie returned with Dr. Braxton, both of them all smiles which Peggy knew was a bad sign.

“Well, Angie,” the doctor greeted, “How are you holding up?”

“Baby’s being ornery, but I’m doing okay. Just ready to meet the little tyke already,” Angie responded.

“I think it’s safe to say that’s what we all want too. But I’m a little worried that a vaginal delivery could put too much stress on you and Baby. We want you both to be strong and healthy after this, so we’re going to monitor your blood pressure for another hour or two, and if it’s not at a number we like we’ll start discussing the possibility of a c-section. Sound okay to you?” the doctor asked, trying to look and sound as positive as she could. Peggy assumed it was to try not to scare them.

“Whatever is best for Angie and the baby,” Peggy said, answering for both of them. She almost hoped they would have to do the c-section because she thought it would be less strenuous for Angie in her current state.

“Glad to hear it. Now you just rest, Angie. We’ll be back to check on you soon.” Angie nodded, and the doctor left the room, soon followed by Leslie who dimmed the lights on her way out.

“Come up here with me?” Angie asked once they were alone.

“You okay, love?”

“I don’t like sleeping alone,” Angie lied and offered Peggy a hopeful smile that she couldn’t deny. Kicking off her shoes she climbed up onto the bed and pulled Angie into her arms . For the next few hours they lay holding each other, Peggy coaching Angie through her contractions, and both trying not to think of all the things that could go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just really love all the Cartinelli feels, okay? Cute vintage lesbian moms.
> 
> If you want more gay Cartinelli like this follow me on tumblr: alifeoflesbionage


End file.
